Containers



June 16, 1964 N. H. BROST CONTAINERS Filed June 22, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f 4%/ fmfy CONTAINERS Filed June 22, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @p2/W im? Array/ v Y United States Patent C 3,137,406 CONTAINERS Nicholas H. Brost, Lakeville, Minn. Filed June 22, 1962, Ser. No. 204,365

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-19) This invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly to containers for use in the collecting of merchandise by a customer in a self-service store, such as a super-market.

Ordinarily, self-service stores are equipped with Wire baskets or other containers for. use by customers in collecting and transporting goods from shelves and cabinets to check-out counters. Usually, these containers arecon-V structed with four sides and a bottom, and an open top. Sometimes, but not always, such a container is made integral with a castered .or wheel-equipped cart or dolly which is usually provided as support for the container. When a customer has completed his selections, he pushes the container-laden cart to the check-outy counter, where the collected merchandise is lifted out of the container by hand and deposited on a counter-like platform adjacent or near to the cash register. It is then ordinarily necessary that the merchandise in the container be lifted over the side of the container in order to move it` to the counter. This is, of course, slow and inefficient, and,

where the customer carries out the operation of removing the merchandise by lifting it over the side of the container and placing it by hand on the counter, it is, obviously an inconvenience to her. It is also true that where this operation is carried out by the cashier, it is highly inetiicient and, therefore, costly, in that it distracts her from her more profitable occupation of computing and recording sales. Indeed the use of currently popular containers is so inefficient that it is almost inconceivable that it is so general in todays highly efficient industrial economy.

It is, therefore, an object ofthis invention to provide a container for use in a self-service store or the like, so constructed that it is unnecessary to lift merchandise over a side or sides thereof in order to remove such merchandise from the container to a counter or platform.

It is another object of the invention to provide a container so constructed that without its becoming detached from said container, one side or adjacent sides thereof may be easily and conveniently moved from its or their usual position at the side of the container to a position in which such side or sides are not between the interior Y 3,137,406 APatented June 16, 1964 ICC first end are not attached to the remainder of the container except by the said hinges and a latch which may be optionally includedand by which the said first side and first end may be secured, preferably'to the bottom of the container, so as to prevent orl restrain the said lirst end and side from swinging laterally in response to pressure against them from inside the container, as from the contents ofthe container, as they rest against the side. In the absence of a latch, or `when such a latch as may be included visnot cooperating withV the remainder of the container to prevent suchmovement, the said first end and first side may, then, be swung as a unit up and away from their positions at the sides of the. container,

where they interfere with the movements of aperson attemptingto remove the contents of the container to a j place outside the confines of the container in its closed position, to a position where it is not in the way of such movements.

In an alternate form'of the 'inevntiom Which-isi shown in FIG. 4, a container is `constructed with a bottom, front and back andone lateral side'integrally joined together, and the remainingside connected with the tops of the ends by means of rods or straps-which extend laterally inward from the top of the said remaining side at its respective ends, which rods or straps terminate in loops which coact with similar elements on the said ends to form double-loop hinges. As in the preferred form of the invention described above, the movable side may optionally be secured to the Vbottom of rthe vcontainer by a latch or catch.

Of course, the invention. is not restricted to containers which are of any particular number of sides, and it is,

of the container and a counter or platform juxtaposed (the ends being also sometimes herein referred to as sides), at least one rst side .of which container is hingedly attached at its ends to the respective sides (or ends or end and side as the case may be) adjacent to it, so that the said first side may be moved from its position at the side of and contiguous the bottom of the container to a position other than at the side of the container, without the necessity of detaching the said lirstvside kor sides from the remainder of the container.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent during a reading of thisspecification and an examination of the accompanying drawing. j

In the preferred form of the invention, there is provided a container, a rst side and a rstfend ofwhich are rigidly joined or continuous at their vertical junction. At the other lateral extremities of said first side and end, respectively, they are hinged in a common. doubleeye arrangement with the portions of the remaining end therefore, not -a limitation Vof the invention that the container bev even substantiallyrectangular. Neither is it a limitation of this invention that the sides of the container be straight: indeed, they may just as well not be, but may be `of any configuration which is otherwise useful In the accompanying drawing, wherein: 1

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of the invention shown from left and front, showing a basket fitted into a notched counter shaped to accommodate the front and side of the basket, the counter being shown in broken lines,

FIG. 2 is a top elevation of the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1, with the movable, hinged side and end closed and latched,

FIG. 3 is a side view of an alternate form ofthe invention referred to above, with the movable, hinged side shown closed and latched,

FIG. 4 is a top 'view of the said alternate form of the invention and wherein, all of said figures like numerals or self-service shopping basket which is resting on a kfour-wheel pedestal type cart or dolly, 11'is a unit com- ,-prising a side and front end of the basket, vshown in their lifted positionto accommodate the removal` of the contentsof the basket, 12 is a simple, looped wire hinge side and end, as shown in FIG. 1. The rfirst side and joining the movableside and end unit of the basket to` their respective adjacent fixed side and end of the basket, 13 is the bottom of thev basket, 14 is the rear end of the basket, 15 is the Ybody of a basket of the alternate form described, 16 is the hinge-connected, movable side' of this alternate form of basket, 17 is a simple double-loop wire hinge by which the'movable side v*of this alternate form ofthe basket is attached to the tops ofthe ends of the basket, 18 is the 'front end of the described alternate form of the container, 19 is the rear end of an alternate form of basket, 20 is the fixed side of this alternate form of basket, 21 is the vbottom ofthis Valternate form ofv substantially vertical plane, i.e. inter alia what are ordiy narily referred to as the sides and the ends;

Container and basket are nearly synonymous and are therefore used interchangeably herein, as containers of several types are known as baskets in the self-service store trade.

I claim:

l. A container for use in a supermarket or the like, comprising: a generally horizontal bottom wall member; four side wall members disposed to extend generally vertically from said bottom wall member, and arranged to form a generally rectangular enclosure, atleast a substantial portion of each of two adjacent ones of said four side wall members being separate from the remainder of said side Wall members, and being rigidly joined together along their vertical confronting edges to form a corner unit which is separate from said bottom wall member and from the remainder of said side Wall members, said corner unit including a portion of the top peripheral edge of said generally rectangular enclosure; and binge means con necting the upper, laterally outer, free extremities of said corner unit to adjacent portions of said remainder of said side wall members, and arranged so that said corner unit can be swung from a closed position in alignment with the remainder of said side Wall members, upwardly andf inwardly over said bottom wall member to an openl position for providing an access opening in said generally rectangular enclosure.4 Y

2. A container as recited in claim l, wherein said hinge means comprises interengaged wire loop portions carriedby said upper, lateral free extremities of said corner unit and on adjacent portions of said remainder of said side wall members. Y Y

3. A container as recited in claim 1, including vadditionally: catch means arranged to releasably secure said corner unit in said closed position.

References Cited'in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chusid f Feb. 5, 

1. A CONTIANER FOR USE IN A SUPERMARKET OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING: A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM WALL MEMBER; FOUR SIDE WALL MEMBERS DISPOSED TO EXTEND GENERALLY VERTICALLY FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL MEMBER, AND ARRANGED TO FORM A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE, AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF EACH OF TWO ADJACENT ONES OF SAID FOUR SIDE WALL MEMBERS BEING SEPARATE FROM THE REMAINDER OF SAID SIDE WALL MEMBERS, AND BEING RIGIDY JOINED TOGETHER ALONG THEIR VERTICAL CONFRONTING EDGES TO FORM A CORNER UNIT WHICH IS SEPARATE FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL MEMBER AND GENERALLY RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE; AND HINGE MEANS CONNECTING THE UPPER, LATERALLY OUTER, FREE EXTREMITIES OF SAID CORNER UNIT TO ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID REMAINDER OF SAID SIDE WALL MEMBERS, AND ARRANGED SO THAT SAID CORNER UNIT CAN BE SWUNG FROM A CLOSED POSITION IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE REMAINDER OF SAID SIDE WALL MEMBERS, UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY OVER SAID BOTTOM WALL MEMBER TO AN OPEN POSITION FOR PROVIDING AN ACCESS OPENING IN SAID GENERALLY RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE. 